So This is Jane Eyre
by phantom-lass
Summary: What if when Jane and Rochester met they were equals? What if Jane's aunt didn't hate her?
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing**

**So This is Jane Eyre**

**Chapter 1**

Mrs Sarah Reed winced as her husband grasped the small child by her shoulders and shook her violently. Her husband was a loving man to both herself and her children but he could not forgive the child...he could not forgive her for the sins of her mother.

Her husband had loved his sister, they had been as close as siblings could be despite the gap in years and yet when she had ran from home to marry against her family's wishes he had never forgiven her, not even when both she and her husband had died seven years ago leaving behind a young daughter.

Her husband had taken the child in out of duty and that was where it ended and young Jane had learned quickly to stay out if her uncle's way.

Sarah had rejoiced at the chance of having another child in the house. She had suffered a miscarriage only months before and the doctors had announced that she would never again be able to carry a child. She had three healthy children as it was but like anything else as soon as you are told you cannot have it you crave for it.

But her husband did not see the arrival of the child as the same gift that she did.

"You are to be sent to school," her husband yelled at the child and Sarah was glad that her own children were two flights of stairs above her head so they could not witness their father's behaviour towards their young cousin.

"There they will teach you your place,"

**8 years later.**

Sarah Reed scanned the letter once again and smiled to herself.

A house party was just what they all needed. And in a week's time also. Hardly time to prepare but she could manage it. Georgiana and Eliza would enjoy being out if the house and John would enjoy being with those his own age and having a break from the strains of running the estate. And Jane...she would ensure that Jane accompanied them this time. She would not accept any of her reasons for not coming. It was time the child was seen by others. She knew that her young niece did not like to be seen in public – something that she also blamed her husband for – but she would have to eventually. Jane was a very loyal and loving girl when given the chance and she had so much to offer and Sarah was determined not to let her shrivel and become an old maid.

She re-read the information provided in the letter.

_Mr Edward F Rochester of Thornfield Hall_

She scanned her mind back and recalled a young man of that name coming to the house for business reasons. Yes, it was just after Jane had been sent away. A tenant of his had been moving into the estate. She tried to picture him in her head.

He had been a very broad looking man. Attractive in a brisk way, not in the way of society who seemed to have swerved towards all things Grecian when it came to measuring appearances. No this man had been no fair haired Apollo. She tried to estimate his age and guessed him being in his thirties now.

Though she could not recall the man exactly she most definitely knew the house. It was a grand old building and if she could remember correctly young women had been trying to catch the man for years only to be Mistress of the Hall.

She shook her head at the shallowness of society women. She herself had been married of to John Reed because her father wished it but had it been her choice she would have followed her heart as Jane's mother had done and married the lowest of the low for love, rather than the highest nobleman for wealth.

Yes. All of her children would marry where they saw fit.

She turned her attention back to the letter.

It was a house party to celebrate his return from overseas...remaking old acquaintances and the like and who was she to deny the invitation.

She turned to her daughters. One pouring over a tapestry and the other trying her best to draw the cloudy landscape on display through the window.

"Georgiana, Eliza,"

Her daughters both raise their heads and look at her expectantly.

"My dears how would you care for a house party,"

Both of them immediately jumped to their feet dashed towards her, laughing and nodding their heads.

"Do you mean it mama, where too?" squealed Georgiana and Sarah smiled at her youngest daughter and patted her cheek affectionately as she leaned over the side of her chair to peer at the letter.

"Thronfield Hall, dear. The journey will be tiresome – a hundred miles – but a welcome reprieve would you not agree?"

Her children grasped each other hands and proceeded to skip about the room in an imitation if a dance until Eliza suddenly stopped.

"What of Jane mama?"

"Jane is coming with us," she replied firmly.

"But you know that Jane does not like to be seen," Georgiana mumbled in a low voice, although she was afraid her little cousin would appear from a hiding place.

"I know, but it is time that she was," Sarah announced.

"And you my dears will take her shopping," she told them.

Her daughters stood in shock until a smile spread slowly across each of their faces and Sarah responded with her own grin. She knew that they would like that idea.

"You mean we can finally get her out of those drab dresses, "Georgiana sounded more excited about that than she did about the party.

"I don't know if she will cooperate mama," Eliza – always the thinker – added slowly.

"It's all that stupid schools fault," Georgiana cried, stamping her foot and gripping her skirt in a tight fist.

"My dears you will simply have to –" Sarah paused trying to think of the right word "persuade her,"

* * *

Jane sat in the window seat of the library, hidden from the world by the thick drapes that she had pulled shut. She knew from experience that too anyone entering the dark, dusty library it would appear empty.

It was a chilly day outside. Not freezing as they were approaching May but cold none the less and everyone had decided to rule out the idea of going for a walk. Instead they had all settled from finding entertainment within the house.

She heard a squeak from the direction of the door.

"Jane,"

Jane smiled. It was just like Eliza. While Georgiana would come straight to the window seat, fling back the curtains and drag her away Eliza was more subtle.

She out her book face down into the seat and swung her legs down as she snapped the curtains open.

Her cousin smiled at her.

"Jane dear, could you come down to the sitting room please,"

Jane followed quickly behind her cousin trying to get out of the chilly corridors as quickly as she could. She hadn't realised just how cold it had became when she had been in her own little world.

They entered the sitting room and Jane only just stopped herself from heading straight to the fire instead she tried to soak up as much of the heat as she could from where she was.

Before she could speak or get nearer to her aunt she found her hand gripped tightly and she was drgged to the window.

"Come and see my drawing Jane, tell me what you think,"

Jane smiled at her cousin. By the way that she acted anyone would think that Georgiana was the youngest.

Jane looked at the drawing. Her cousin was getting better but still missing out on key elements that would make the image leap to life.

"You are improving Georgiana, but you are still forgetting to put in the shadows," she pointed to where she was talking about.

"But it is very well done," she added quickly, not wanting to offend her cousin.

"Thank you Jane, I shall try and remember the shadows," her cousin smiled before once again taking her hands and dragging her back to her aunt.

"Mama had some fabulous news Jane, it is so exciting,"

**Hi everyone.**

**I was decorating my bedroom during the Easter break and came across notes for a Jane Eyre fanfic that I must have wrote months ago.**

**So do I continue or don't I? (dun dun dun hehe)**

**Please let me know what you think.**

**Keep safe. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing**

**So This is Jane Eyre**

**Chapter 2**

Rochester stood by his study window a glass of amber liquid clutched firmly in his hand as he looked out at the drizzly weather – reflecting his dark mood perfectly.

What the devil had possessed him to throw a house party?

He was out of his mind!

He raised the glass to his lips and took a gulp of the flaming liquid, enjoying the scorching sensation as it travelled down his throat and set a fire in his stomach.

Eshton! He growled the name in his head.

It had all been his friends fault. During a moment of weakness (or was it madness) he had actually seen some sense in his friend's suggestion of remaking old acquaintances and seeing old friends.

And whatever had came over him it had been prolonged and had lasted more than one day as it tool at least two for the invitations to be sent out.

He slammed his empty hand against the thankfully solid window frame and ignored the dull throb that it brought to his clenched fist.

He turned and stalked to his desk, flicking through the sheets of paper that had gathered there over the past few days. He grimaced as he studied the letters sent to him from those who were accepting the invitation to live at his expense for a month or so.

The Ingrams.

He threw what remained in the glass down his throat before slamming the glance onto the table.

That meant Blanche was coming. Ever since the Ingrams had attended a Christmas party at Thornfield two or three years previously the women had gotten it into her head that he was harbouring some kind of attraction for her. It didn't help his temper that his house-keeper seemed to think the same thing and continually dropped the young lady's name whenever she could.

He curse Mrs Fairfax's name before slumping into his chair.

He continued to flick through the papers - all 'old friends' of his father.

How the old scrooge had managed to make ANY friends was beyond him. He was the man's youngest son and even he had hated the old man since he was old enough to understand the word.

And what did it matter if he hated the old man with all of his soul? He was destined for the deepest pits of Hades anyway so what were a few more errors and mortal blunders. At least he and his father would burn together.

He mentally checked of all of the names that he recognised before a name he had not seen in years caught his attention.

'Reed'.

Rochester cast his mind back to when he had last had dealings with the man. He had been an acquaintance of his fathers and when he had taken over the estate he had taken it upon himself to visit him. It had also helped that he had had the added reason of a tenant taking up residence on the other man's land.

_Edward walked from the study of Mr Reed after the necessary niceties. He did not like the other so called gentleman. He was hard, flinty and self serving – made from the same material of his father and brother, damn them both to hell. He would not even have entered the magistrates home if it was not for business reasons. _

_The fellow's wife was welcoming enough but had the pinch, pale, careful look of a woman reprimanded too many times. Each of her actions was steady and calculated. His children were also agreeable – though high spirited, as was to be expected of such youngsters. The girls had the make-up to be beautiful and no doubt flighty, while the son was steady and reminded him of his good friend Eshton at that age. If only he had been so steady things might have been different for him..._

"_Where is that child," Reed had suddenly snapped softly towards his wife and Edward had seen her flinch slightly at her husband's words. He also caught the glances that passed between the three siblings. Each of them loosing their happiness and gaiety and becoming worried. _

"_I...I...John dear, please go and fetch Jane please," she told her son softly and the boy had smiled at his mother and rising quickly he scampered from the room. _

_Edward quickly took the lull in the room ad an opportunity to excuse himself and impart instructions to his groom. _

_He strode down the hall stopping when he heard the sound of children's voices coming from a room. _

_The door had been left ajar and looking through the gap he saw that the boy was with a young girl. She was a small thing – tiny in fact. She had a very pale face and mousy brown hair with large eyes that spoke of a maturity beyond her years. _

"_Jane, you have to stop making him angry," the boy begged her, taking her hand in his and holding it tightly. _

"_John my very breathing makes him angry. It does not matter what I do..." she sighed heavily and Edward was shocked by the weight of her words. _

"_Jane..."_

"_John he is sending me to school," she told him with spirit._

"_If I apply myself I could become a teacher...Think of it John, I could maybe even have my own school some day,"_

_She sounded so excited at the simple prospect that she had for herself that Edward felt a twinge of sadness within him – she could not be any more than ten years old. _

"_Jane it is not a very nice place that he is sending you," the boy told her and Edward began to pay more attention, seeing that his grounds for not liking that man obviously had a stronger grounding. _

"_Don't you remember the man who came from the place...?" the boy urged her._

_The girl shook her head and her whole body seemed to deflate the spirit that she had shown only a second ago leaving her as quickly as it had came. _

"_Well Jane, don't you remember what father told them?" the boy continued and it was obvious to Edward that the poor child didn't want to remember. _

"_That I was a liar..." the girl mumbled her chin nearly touching her chest. _

"_That I had the devil in me," she continued softly, nearly crying. _

_Edward felt his anger boil at this. He was eternally bound to a women with such a disposition and this child was as far away from that as you could get. _

"_That he couldn't trust me around you and Eliza and Georgiana. But...But I'm not a liar John," the child cried out in earnest but just managing to hold back the tears and he found himself being proud of her. _

"_I...I don't have the devil in me and I am not a liar you believe me don't you John?" her last words died out as she looked up at the boy who was nodding his head before the boy drew the girl to him and hugged her. _

Rochester shook his head to shake the memory. He had not thought of that in years and now he could not help but think about what had happened to the little girl.

She was made of strong stuff and he had a feeling that the child would have needed it.

He reached for the decanter and poured another generous measure of liquid into his empty glass, choosing to enjoy the silence when he could because in two more days he would be sharing it with half of the county.

**Hi everyone. **

**I hope you like this. I thought I would add a little twist to things. **

**Please let me know what you think.**

**Stay safe**

**:)**


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